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Weekly Chronicle & Sentinel. VOL. I.] THE WASHINGTON IAN. PUBLISHED BY JAMES MeCAFFERTY, TWICE EVERY MONTH. Office on Macintosh street —opposite the Post Office. TERMS. For a single copy, for one year, One Dollar ; for six copies, to one address, Five Dollars ; for ten copies, to one address, Eight Dollars—awl so in proportion. QCf. Payment in all cases to lie made in advance. «?- AH communications by mail, must be post p.yjo, to receive attention. List of Agents for tile Washingtonian. (JQP— The following gentlemen are respectfully re quested an,d fully authorised by us, to act as agents for the Washitigtonian, in extending its circulation : Clarksville— j Dr.W. J. Rusk, ) Lewis Levy. Dalahnega—C. B. Leitner. Covingion4-C. Pace. Decatur —L. Willard. Mhms —E. L. Newton. Marietta— James F. Cooper. Columbus —R. Boyd. Saniersviltc— A. G. Ware. Social Cirkle —J. L. Gresham. Lincolnian —Henry J. Lang. Crawfnriville —Rev. John W. Wilson. Warrentoo —Kliphalei Hale. Culbrcath’s— Rev. C. ollins, Siiarla —N. C. Sayre. McDonough— Wm. L. Gordon. Cassville —Rev. Mr. Howard. Rockbridge—John W. Fowler. Old Church P O. J A Bell. Hamburg, (.S C.)—C. H. Lindsey, P.M Ba'-wcll C. H (S C.y-O. D. Allen. Rock Mills, (S. C)—W. A. Lewis. Richdaiuh. (,V. C.)—Bryan H. Koonc e Tusktgee, (Ala.)— Rev. G. P. Sparks. Richmond County Washington Total Ab stinence Society. OFFICERS. Dr. Joseph A. Eve, President. •Col. John Milledge, Hawkin-s Huff, | Dr. F. M. Robertson, }> Vice Presidents. Dr. 1. P. Garvin, J. W. Meredith, J Wm. Haines. Jr. Secretary cp Treasurer . MANAGERS. James Harper, Wm. F. Pemberton, John G. Dunlap, Wm. O Eve, Jesse Walton, A. Phillips, E. E. Scofield, Dr. Benjamin Douglass, James Godby, J. L. Mimms. From the Cold Water Magazine. The Indian Payment. "He was in form and mind a noble chief; The unfortunate Nenah ventured her all la this frail bark, and the wreck was total.” Inftke fall of 181-, there was seen congregating along the shores of Mackinaw, a flotilla ot birch en canoes, laden with furs ami material for wig wams, and so dexterously managed, as to resem ble truly, so many “things of life,’’ under the skilful guidance of the pi actised Chippewa. Be neath the old fort, bristled with implements of destruction, were seen squaws, Yankee traders, and Canadian Fiench, busiiy engaged in the erection ot booths, shanties, and wigwams, and revelling in the anticipations of the profits and 111- dulg ence of the following day Here might be seen an old trapper, pr swarthy ■“ coureur du bois,” cautioning a credulous chief, in his native tongue, to beware of the pale-faced Yankees; the-e a regular Jonathan, through an interpreter, eloquently urging upon the untutor ed son ot the forest, that be. was the Indian’s friend, that the old traders had too long imposed upon them, and, as an earnest ot the truth of his asseverations, as well as to secure him as a pur chaser at his shanty, on the morrow, he stealthily introduces through an aperture in the hack part of his tent, the confiding savage to an acquain tance with the whiskey bottle. Amid the bustle and eagerness of preparation, professions of friendship, and digusting fam’liar jty, the day wore apace, and the unclouded sun descending the blue vaulted heaven, sank gorge ously behind the bastions and battlements ot that old time-worn fortress, now slumbering in ruins, and so beautifully described by a French writer, as “ Ayant I’air delabri, sans Fair antique.” ******** During the evening of that day. some of the chiefs, by virtue ot their supp 'Sed influence, and an emphatic promise to exert it on the morrow, enjoyed some of the spirited hospitality of the traders, and at ten o’clock amnnenced the “ med icine dance,” most comfortably drunk A de scription of this singular dance would he too long for an insertion here; suffice it to say, that a dog is sacrificed to “ Manitou,” or the Evil Spirit, to appease his wrath, while it gratifies, after the cer- TOTAL ABSTINENCE ADVOCATE. AUGUSTA, G \. SATUKIMY. FEBRUARY 4. 1843 emony, the appetite of the dancers; and if all the ; diseases unknown to them which may afflict the I trihe, are not cured hy the hor.us pocus of tfceii j “ medicine men” during that ceremony, why the j Great Spirit has ordered it otherwise, From these revels ami vanities, night stole in o morn- j ing, and the great god of day wheeling up from behind the islands of the Evil Spirit,* dispelling ! the gray vapors which coated densely Huron’s! waves, smiled again in g. neral majesty upon the ! “Turtle’s B.ick.”t From the shanties were seen suspended trinkets, blankets, red calicoes, and. to a practised eye, certain slight elevations of ground within, which might or might not contain as many whiskey barrels. An officer, with a de tachment of :i en from the fort, whose duty it was j to sec that no intoxicating liquors were sold upon j the ground, might be seen [xmipously peering in- 1 to the shanties for that purpose, but for the soul, of him, he could see no more there than what was | absolutely necessary for the comfort of an officer and a gentleman. He considered it vulgar, per ltajis, to suspect his friend of so flagiant a viola- j tion of the la"’, and thereupon would institute no f iniquity. The ailicles were of a coarse and j worthless texture, and manufactured especially | fur that market. Tliegreat body of Indians were lounging a bout, begging for rum, surveying the bright red; colors w..ich litng out in gaudy profusion, and waiting, as impatiently as their stoical character \ would permit, for the avowal of the occasion which wasjust at hand, and which was to afford them means to gratify their curiosity and depra-j ved appetites. Inquiries were rife for the whereabouts of the ; primum mobile of the ceremony, who presently made his appearance in the person of the Indian ; Agent. Surrounded by kegs of silver, our worthy cen- j tre of attraction, Having appointed his tellers, ; commenced with the principal chiefs, and proceed- j ed, by a descending scale, to distribute to each of I the tribe their respective quota of their annuity. Around the place of payment could he seen a horde of hungry expectants, whose morals pecu liarly fitted them for the confines of civilization, watching with an eagle’s eye each poor “ neci.ce,” t as he received Ins snare of the proceeds—their eager and practised eye followed him to the out let of the enclosure, pounced upon him as the hawk upon its intended victim, led him to his magazine of worthless couriosities, and with the dexterity of a magician, transferred the larger portion of the poor Indian’s “ needful” into the: purlieu of his own pocket. Every trader was now on the qui vive to assure the confiding neckee | that be was his best friend, and he no sooner con vinced him of this important fact, than a down- 1 right robbery established the truth of his profess-, ions. If the poor Indian should cautiously insinuate j that the supply was inadequate to the investment, or that a very honest mistake existed as to the amount paid out, the index of the right hand mount ng instantly to the nasal organ, that ofthe left elongating itself simultaneously in the direc tion of a rum cask, and a | eculiarly knowing squint ofthe left eye, was so cognoscible a pan tomime to poor nechee, as to suppress all predato ry imaginings, The |iayment being over, and the soldiery having left, a scene was instantly presented which beggars all graphic skill. With the despatch and hurly-burly of a crew in a squall, narrels were rolled from every tent, the heads staved in, every species of portable vessel inthecountry in active use; men, squaws, and children, rushed with the eagerness of famisned wolves, to glut their unnatural apuetiles. The kegs of silver soon passed turough the Indian’s hand into the pockets ofthe ruthless trailer, and in the short space of an hour, three fourths ofthe tribe were to be seen, some roiling on the ground unable to rise, others yelling and whooping under the influence ofthe maddening bowl, which lan-; ned into flame tue slumbering embers of discor-1 dant feeiing, and planted the fatal knife in the] bosom of some of its nelpless victims. ******** During the day I c uld not but observe a young man whose manner and accent was evi dently a title page to tne land of “ wooden nut megs;” he had been rapidly di posing of his “no tions” at a most enormous profit, but when he arrived at the part of the performance which, to | till up the measure of the trader’s character, it was necessary to fill up the measure of the “li quid tire,” 1 thought 1 perceive about him a con scicnce-be-still sort of look, that was migi.tily at conflict with the effects of early instruction, and parental admonition. Having disposed of his oewgaws, and Ins barrel of whiskey, at about six times their original cost, he leaned against his shanty, and, gazing upon the moral degradation which surrounded him, apparently in deep] * Manitou Island. f Michilimackinaw is the ludian name lor the great Turtle’s Back, which it resembles. ' OR, thought, he exclaimed —“And this is an Indian payment!” His memory, springing from the warm toolings of his heart, flew to his native home -recognised the moral and divine precepts which he as wont to hear from maternal lips, and for the moment he was sad—but he thought again of his profits, an.i labored to reconcile of fended sensibility with the custom of the country Thus dors familiarity strip vice of her enormity ; thus does baleful example breathe pestilence and moral death. On the following day the traders commenced packing up what remnants of goods they had on band, preparatory to a move; and really they seemed to me, while walking about the ground, still strewed with the apparently dead anil dying Indians, like those ravenous t arpies who follow in tlie wake o a victorious army, for the purpose of plundering the dying soldiery. At a little distance from the payment ground, on a small eminence, stood a most interesting and conspicuous group. “ V\ hois that tall, well shaped Indian, with the gaudy plumes waving above Ins high retiring forehead,” said Major B. “ l'lie four persons who compose that group,” replied Lieutenant Wood, are so celebrated in this section of the world, that 1 am not supprised at their having attracted your curiosity. The dignified, erect personage to whom you refer, is the Chief of the Chipjiewa nation. The one with whom lie is conversing is the famous -White Bear, the orator, and a Chief among the Winncbagoes; the interesting Nenah, the female' near him, is his daughter, and supposed to be the most beau tiful woman among all the Western tribes ol In dians. She is said to be engaged to Tuthlumac hec, the bold young Chippewa who stands near her, and if you knew them you would agree with me in the opinion, that Heaven has formed them for each other.” “ Dees he speak English'!” said Major B. “ He speaks passably well, though he has nev er before been in the white settlement ; the old Chief, his father, though engaging a white teach er to instruct him, has studiously, until this pay ment, prevented him from any in.ercourse with what he calls the corrupt pale faces." “How is his mind V’ said the Major, as his fine hazel eye seemed to impart new vivacity and interest. “ His mind,” said his friend, “ must possess extra,ordinary powers, it we compare his rapid ad vancement with the length of time employed in the prosecution of his studies.” Major 8., then on a visit to the “ Far West” for the first time, was a wealthy and philanthro pic citizen of Boston, and firod with the laudable desire of rescuing a genius like that of Tuthla ntachee’s, from moulding itself to the exigencies of a hare subsistence in the lorest, resolved at once to go to the old Chief, combat his prejudices, point out the advantages of civilization, and pro cure permission for the young Chief to accom pany him to Boston; so, in company with the Lieutenant and myself, he approached the vener able Chief, and acquainted him witli his de.-igns. The old man listened to the advantages set forth in the education ot'hia son witii dignified compo sure, while Nenah and Tuthlamachee grasped each other’s hands, and appeared deeply agitated. The Major having finished speasing, the weath er-beaten old patriarch, el- quent in look and attitude, drew closely round him his rich quill embroidered robe, and pointing to the ground" where lay, or were staggering about, hundreds of ins once noble warriors, now self-debased and senseless. “Look,” said he, as a scowl sat upon his hronsed visage, “look upon that scene; contem plate those pool victims to the unnatural vices of civilized cupidity They are human beings, with features, mind, stature, and sympathies like your own ; stamped witli the holy impress ot tile Invis ibl One. Once fearle.-s in freedom, unl'urrowed by cares, bold in the chase, and lettered by no law, save that of honor, and the power of the Great Spirit, they have yielded to the white man’s artifice, their primitive character has been de based, their limbs made bare and enervated, their ha bits changed, their honors sullied, cheated of their rightful dues, and their frit mis and relatives hurried to a (reinature grave by that accursed ‘firewater,’ which lias swept, like the devasta ting flames upon the prairie, over the poor Indi an’s physical and moral nature. Oh! hiwthis old heart bleeds, when 1 remember the bold elas- i tic step, the proud high-hearing of Nature’s no- I blcinen —once the undisputed owners of these ; vast hunting grounds—once in numbers count less as the leaves of yonder forest, now in the autumn of iheir national existence, and f lAfalling 1 to the shades of their fathers towards the setting sun;’ can you ” and a tear stole along the old Chiefs furrowed cheek, “can you, 1 say, look upon that scene, and ask me to submit this noble staff ol my declining years to become another vic tim to your refined and boasted culture 1 Oh no! l«-t this star rise and fall in its natural bright ness. ” '• \ ou have drawn an exciting picture,” rejoin ed the Major, “and have stamped it in many parts, I con less, with too milch fidelity; but are you not judging my countrymen generally, but a tew unprincipled men, who live about the con fines nl your territories, because they can live no where else? ’ “ Why it is true,’’ said the Chief, that the mor al sense sits more lightiy perhaps on this class of people, than the great body of the pale faces; yet during my visit to our great father, the President, in which I attempted to studv your character, I thought 1 perceived the same ‘ anoihally in na ture,’ by which I mean those habits which are most remote from the design of the Great Spirit, in our conduct through life. 1 saw, even at the Capitol, men standing behind a counter dealing out this life destroying drink, and all classes <d" persons, even your members ot Congress, eccour aging the shameful practice both by example and solicitation. Men would enter these houses like rational beings, and come out like drivelling idiots. ♦*♦****“ It is true,’ said the Major, “there are many stains upon our nalional character, and you havo mentioned the most objectionable ; but in my sec tion ol the country these evils do not exist but partially. Besides, by being educated there, i ulhl&tnachec would be tree from vicious influ ences. would study the better part of our lives, and would be enabled to record the annals of your nation, publish to the world a history of your grievances, adorning its pages with your many virtues and giving to posterity the means of knowing you, and your warriors, intimately, long after your have been gathered to the shades of your fathers.” This appeal to the old man’s vanity was one of that species of argumentum ad hominem which rarely ever fails of effecting its purpose. The old man nlready saw himsclt breathing and speaking upon the records of the distant future, and in that thought, like Aaron’s rod, was merged all others. So the old Etluaia, alter a short interview with the orator of the Winnebagoes, reluctantly con sented. It was an important step in the old Chiefs life; poor Nenah’s heart trembled with dark forebodings of the f iture. Tuthlamacheo was in the April of his years ; tall commanding, and of such a form as Angelo would have select ed as a perfect model. His step was firm and dignified; his wild dark eye lit up a countenance which was ever and anon mantling with luxuri ant thought. Like a limped brook in some se questered glen, did his playful mind roll on in sparkling purity and innocence; though suscep tible of the tenderest humanities, his heart’s bright joys had never until this moment, been darkened by the gloomy shadows of coming events. This interruption of the even tenor of his happiness was the thought of a long, perhaps a final separa tion from his beautiful Nenah The boat which was to convey him to the land be knew not of, was now in readiness—after taking leave of his triends, he extended his hand mechanically to Nenah, and tears pronounced the sad farewell, l anded at Boston, Tuthlamachee was the ad mired of every one; the Major occupied him in showing him all the lions of that Athens of Amer ica ; it was some weeks before his uncultivated fi iend entered upon a course of studies. Having commenced, however, the duties assigned hiir”, his progress was extraordinary. Directing the various powers ofia vigorous mind upon a single subject, he obtained a mastery over it, almost without an effort. Nature indeed, as if merciful to his limited means of instruction in his forest home in a freak of liberality, seemed disposed to lavish upon him intuitive talents, which almost set at defiance the necessity of education. His rapid strides in the acquisition of knowl edge, ma le bim an object of interest to all who sought his acquaintance. During his leisure hours, his society would be solicited at eating houses, places of amusement, and the sparkling wine would be offered as a token of respect; months rolled n, and the pleasure of learning* by evil communications, merged into those of dis sipation and debauchery. By the liberality of Major 8., he had whatever money he required, and he found no scarcity of heartless parasites to help him to employ it. On the morrow i.f such debaucheries, with an aching beau and a long ing heart, would he sigh for his own proud wood lands. Often, in hiitei fancy, would he revisit the flower enamelled hanks of those noble rivers along which, Naiad-like, used to stroll the beau tiful Nenah, and turn reluctantly to his weari some duties. 1 have said that this wild Indian girl was beautiful; she had, as Miss Edgeworth I think, says ol her wild Irish girl, none of that effulgent lumen purpureum which poets assign to the bright emanations of divine beauty, Init something indescribably primitive and beautifully wld about her air and look in a word, there was a fugitive and artless naivete playing about [No. 17.